Aircraft



Jan. 15, 1 935. B. A. MORTON 1,987,788

AIRCRAFT Filed Dec. 3, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR 5. A. Maw-0N;

HIS ATTORNEYS,

5. A. MORTON Jan. 15, 1935.

AIRCRAFT Filed Dec. 3, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H SA TORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 15, 1935 Benjamin A. Morton, New York, N. if. Application December 3, 1932, Serial No. 665,540 3 (fil ear-2e) This invention relates to aircraft, and particu- The engine structure for the airplane includes lariy to those of the heavier-than-air type, and one tandem row of fixedly mounted power-units its broad object is to provide a generally improved G on the port side supported in the usual ringhea'vier-than-air flying machine. V mount, strut-braced fashion in the cantilever 5 One of the particular objects of the invention monoplane wing structure, and three similar ax- 5 is to provide a heavier-than-air aircraft which vially aligned power-units G on the starboard side. will be safer in flight than the ordinary airplane Closer inboard on the port side are three 90-revbut in which the safety provisions will, instead of oluble, axially aligned power-units H in which as usual detracting from the air-speed of the the engine-airscrew units are mounted on shafts craft, materially augment the forward speed of 11 for rotation from a vertical plane to a hori- 10 the craft in normal flight. K zontal plane through 90". When lying in the Another object of the invention is to provide horizontal plane, the propellers sweep over a a heavier-than-air aircraft which will be easier dished-out area on the leading edge portion of and safer to take-01f and land than the ordinary the respective wings so that the slip-stream from 15 airplane, and which will be less likely to crack the horizontally revolving propellers is added to, 15 up on a rough landing either on water or on land. and enhances the effect of the relative wind when With these. and other objects, hereinafter apslipping over the upper camber or top surface pearing, in view, my invention comprises the of the wing, thereby increasing the negative combinations, sub-combinations, elements, and pressure and adding materially to the lift. This features hereinafter particular-med, nd illuseffect, combined with the vertical thrust of the 20 trated byway of example in the accompanying propellers when the power-units are rotated into drawings. this position, aids materially in flattening out the In these drawings gliding angle and checking the forwardly gliding Fig. 1 is a plan of another embodiment of my motion of the arcraft while landing so that landinventive concepts; ing speeds are reduced to the minimum and long 5 Fig, 2 is a fro t elevation of same; runs are obviated, thereby enhancing the safety Fig. 3 is a plan of still another embodiment and ease of landing heavier-than-air aircraft. Fig, 4 is aimnt elevati n of same; When in normal horizontal or other altitude Fig. 5 is a side elevation of same; flight, the inboard engines are turned so as to Fig, 6 is a, structural detail of the landing gear have their axes horizontal, and thus merely aid 30 of the craft shown in Fig. 2. by their cumulative thrust in increasing the for- Except where obviously impossible, the airward airspeed of the aircraft. ,If desired, howcraft of the present invention are to be regarded ever, the units H may be turned as shown in Fig. as the ordinary aircraft in' all particulars other 1 even for horizontal flight.

than the improved features added thereto by the The ai a t hown in Fig. 3, comprises a con- 35 present invention. That is to say, all the struc-, ventional fuselage construction 12, in this case ture and improvements of ordinary airplanes are a monocoque type, having t general fi to be assumed as incorporated herein except uration of an elongated drop of falling water, and where incompatible with the present concepts of three lift surfaces 13, 14, and 15, arranged in w improvement, a tandem and pin-hinged to the fuselage, the span 40 The wings are mounted and attached to the of the intermediate lift surface being greater than backbone with a slight, and preferably progresthe foremost and aftermost. The lift surfaces sively rearwardly decreasing, longitudinal (11- in the center or the-intermediate lift surfaces are hedral for lateral stability and have the usual rigged in the biplane box girder type of construcailerons and controls therefor. In order to neution, and the forward and aft lift surfaces are 45 tralize the decreasing-lift effect of disturbed air monoplane, cantilever-braced types. A single on the lift characteristic of wings when in tandem, main landing carriage 16 is provided at or near the the wings 2' are made of longer span and greater center of gravity and a tail wheel or skid 1'1 is chord than wings 2, and 2" of greater span provided in the proper position near the tail than 2'. 1 group. The entering edge of each of the lift sur- 50 The covered nose of the cabin indented cirfaces is kerfed or annularly' indented or dished cularly as shown at 9, to form the relative wind as shown at 18, and has a power-unit 19 consistinto forwardly-directed eddies at the edge thereing of a radial air-cooled engine and a tractor airof which tend to create a vacuum thus reducing screw driven directly thereby, mounted therein on the head-resistance somewhat. an axle 20 in such a way that it may be rotated ,55

midway in height between the plane of the two main lift surfaces 14. The two main wings or intermediate wings, 14, are of greater span than the forward and aft lift groups and the gap between them is about two feet greater than that ordinarily employed. The two main wings 14 are located at the center of gravity and center of lift, and the engines and wings are in balance above and below the longitudinal axis of the craft, as

well as around the lateral axis of the craft.

The forward wing and the aft wing are of lesser span than the intermediate wings, and function primarily as supports for the engines shown, though having the usual lift-section profile, span, chord, taper, and the chord 20 back of the indentations 18 is made greater than elsewhere to make up for the loss of lift-chord due to the dish-in. Internally braced protuberances 21 are formed adjacent the indentations in order to take the load off the weakened portions of the wing. The short forward wing creates little disturbed air with reference to the uppermost of the two central wings so that there is very little interference loss, and the aft wing is above the'wash area of the lower central wing, and below the top central wing, thereby also reducing the interference. If desired, the engines may be mounted fixedly on the respective wings and streamlined thcreinto with cowling and fairing in the usual manner instead of being swiveled as shown. If desired also, engines may be omitted from theforward and aft wings and provided in fixed mountings on the central wings only. Also, in this last form the engines may be swiveled instead of fixed.

In any case, the engines can be operated so as to reduce the airspeed and the ground-speed of the craft after it strikes the ground so as to make landing easier and safer.

A detailed showing of the particular type of landing gear is presented in Fig. 6. The landing.

gear comprises a pair of spoons 42 arranged on the fuselage at suitable points. These spoons" enable a plane to land upon rough ground at any angle and thereby increase the safety factor of my device.

Various modifications in details of engineering structure or in the mechanical refinements of parts are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention insofar as they are included within the scope of the sub-joined claims.

I claim:

1. An aeroplane-type aircraft,- comprising a fuselage, a lift-surface supported thereby, and having an entering-edge, motive-units pivotally supported near the entering-edge of the lift-surface for rotation from a vertical plane to a horizontal plane overlying the lift-surface, the liftsurface thereunder being kerfed-out to form a configuration resembling a portion of a saucer, the central plane of the horizontal airscrew-path being tangent to the upper outer edge of the kerf, whereby the slipstream of the airscrew is directed over across the lift-surface to add to the negative pressure of the relative wind on the upper surface of the lift-surface.

2. An aeroplane-type aircraft, comprising a cabin, a lift-surface supported thereby, motiveunits pivotally supported near the entering-edge of the lift-surface for rotation from a vertical plane to a horizontal plane overlying the liftsurface, the lift-surface thereunder being kerfedout to form a configuration resembling a portion of a saucer, the central plane of the horizontal airscrew-path being tangent to the upper outer edge of the kerf whereby the slipstream of the airscrew is directed over across the lift-surface to add to the negative pressure of the relative wind onthe upper-surface of the lift-surface,

3. An aeroplane-type aircraft, comprising a plurality of streamlined, tubular, longitudinals connected around the circumference of a circle, a lift-surface supported thereby, motive-units pivotally supported near the entering-edge of the lift surface for rotation from a vertical plane to a horizontal plane overlying the lift-surface, the lift-surface thereunder being kerfed-out to form a configuration resembling a portion of a saucer, the central plane of the horizontal airscrew-path being tangent to the upper outer edge of the kerf' whereby the slipstream of the airscrew is directed over across the lift-surface to add to the negative pressure of the relative wind on the upper-surface of the lift-surface.

4. An aeroplane-type aircraft comprising a fuselage, a lift-surface supported thereby, vertically rotatable engine-propeller units in tandem and tandem pairs pivotally supported near the entering-edge of the lift-surface for rotation from a vertical plane to a horizontal plane overlying the lift-surface, the lift-surfacethereunder being kerfed-out to form a configuration resembling a portion of a saucer, the central plane of the horizontal airscrew-path being tangent to the upper outer edge of the kerf whereby the slipstream f the airscrew is directed over across the lift-surface to add to the negative pressure of the relative wind on the upper-surface of the lift-surface.

5. An aeroplane-type aircraft, comprising a fuselage, a lift-surface supported thereby and having an entering-edge, several sets of motiveunits, one set of which is fixedly mounted, the other is pivotally supported near the enteringedge of the lift-surface for rotation from a vertical plane to a horizontal plane overlying the liftsurface, the lift-surface thereunder being kerfedout to form a configuration resembling a portion of a saucer, the central plane of the horizontal airscrew-path beingtangent to the upper outer edge of the kerf, whereby the slipstream of the airscrew is directed over across the lift-surface to add to the negative pressure of the relative wind on the upper surface of the lift-surface.

6. An aeroplane-type aircraft, comprising a fuselage, lift-surfaces supported thereby, said lift-surfaces being arranged in tandem and of unequal breadth and having an entering edge, motive-units pivotally supported near the enterin: edge of the lift-surface for rotation from a vertical plane to a horizontal plane overlying the lift-surfaces, the lift-surfaces thereunder being kerfed-out to form a configuration resembling a portion of a saucer, the central plane of the horizontal airscrew-path being tangent to the upper outer edge of the kerf, whereby the slipstream of the airscrew is directed over across the lift-surfaces to add to the negative pressure of the relative wind on the upper surface of the lift-surfaces. 7. An aeroplane-type aircraft, comprising a fuselage, said fuselage having a circularly indented nose whereby the relative wind is formed into forwardly directed eddies at the edge thereof which tend to create a vacuum, a lift-surface sup;

ported thereby and having an entering edge, motive-units pivotally supported near the entering edge of the lift-surface for rotation from a. vertical plane to a horizontal plane overlying the 5 lift-surface, the lift-surface thereunder being kerfed-out to form a. configuration resembling a portion of a saucer, the central plane of the horizontal airscrew-path being tangent to the upper outer edge of the kerf, whereby the slipstream of the airscrew is directed over across the lift-surface to add to the negative pressure of the relative wind on the upper surface of the lift-surface.

BENJAMIN A. MORTON. 

